A NOAA-funded independent report analyzing
U.S. fishing subsidies should play a strong role in efforts to
right-size the U.S. fishing fleet, the Commerce
Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
said today. The report is also expected to assist NOAA
Fisheries managers as they develop domestic programs for
meeting international plans of action to reduce world fishing
capacity.

The United States is spearheading international
efforts to deal with the global problem of "too many fishing
boats chasing too few fish." At the same time, NOAA
Fisheries managers are seeking tools that will help reduce excess
fleet capacity in many domestic marine fisheries.

"One of the greatest concerns for
the future of the world's oceans is overharvesting of marine
resources. In many cases, fishing subsidies encourage too many
boats to enter a fishery and can undermine conservation,"
said Terry D. Garcia, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans
and atmosphere and chief U.S. negotiator for the international
plans of action. "We have pushed the international community
to address this concern. This report will help us domestically
to live up to our international leadership role."

The findings of the Federal Fisheries Investment
Task Force Report to Congress are expected to help the Congress
and the Administration in their reviews of domestic programs
that may contribute to overcapacity and overcapitalization. Having
too many fishing boats or too many harvest permits in a marine
fishery makes it difficult for fishermen to make a living and
may impede progress toward realizing a key Magnuson-Stevens
Act goal -- reducing and eliminating overfishing in U.S.
commercial fisheries.

By "right-sizing" the fleet, the number of fishermen
will be balanced with the number of fish that can be harvested
at sustainable levels.

"It's important to remember that most
fishing subsidies were created to promote development and improve
the competitiveness of the U.S. fishing industry," said
Penny Dalton, NOAA Fisheries director. "Our programs are
considered modest compared to those of many of the world's fishing
nations, but they need to be updated to ensure that they meet
our mandates to build and maintain healthy fisheries and level
the playing field for U.S. fishermen."

As required by the Sustainable
Fisheries Act of 1996, the Federal Investment Study was conducted
by a representative group of interested non-government parties
to study how U.S. government subsidies and other programs influenced
both the expansion and contraction of levels of fishing capacity
and investments (capitalization) in federally managed fisheries.
To ensure the widest possible participation in the preparation
of the report, the assignment was given to a task force of 22
experts who represented NOAA Fisheries' constituencies, each
geographic region and most major fisheries. NOAA Fisheries managers
believe that such an outside review of sensitive government programs
enhances the practical value of the report.

Once the Secretary of Commerce selected
the task force members, the task force independently conducted
its study and submitted its report. Today's action by the Secretary
officially forwards the task force's report to Congress.

Representatives of The World
Wildlife Fund, a national conservation group, and the National Fisheries Institute,
representing many of the nation's fishermen and dealers, participated
in the preparation of the independent Congressional report and
support many of the report's recommendations for future action.

The United States recently led the world's
major fishing nations to a series of agreements under the United
Nation's Food and Agriculture Office
regarding marine resource issues, and completed negotiations
for international plans of action to reduce excess world fishing-fleet
capacity and improve international conservation and management
of sharks and seabirds.